Rove denies role in McCain rumor

Karl Rove said Monday that he had “nothing to do” with a whisper campaign during the 2000 Republican presidential primary claiming Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) had an illegitimate black child.

Rove, who was working for then-Gov. George W. Bush, said during an interview on NBC’s “Today Show” that the rumor came from “a professor at Bob Jones University” and not the Bush campaign.

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“This is the kind of thing the media love, these kind of allegations,” Rove said. “But for people in practical politics, I’ve got to tell you, I was seized with fear when this rumor began to circulate through South Carolina. It was sent out by a professor at Bob Jones University.”

Rove said that he had “nothing to do with it.”

The former Republican political operative then said the nasty rumor –which incorrectly identified McCain’s adopted daughter from Bangladesh – actually provided McCain with an “opportunity.”

“I thought John McCain would seize it for what it was, which was an enormous opportunity to give an insight into who he and his wife are because Cindy McCain adopted a child from an orphanage in Bangladesh,” Rove said. “The story of this is an incredible tale of love and compassion. But rather than doing that, John McCain said, ‘I’m a victim,’ and was angry and complained about it and pointed the finger at Bush when he had no evidence whatsoever.”

Rove has been publicly accused in various press accounts of being behind the move, which in part contributed to Bush’s 53 percent to 42 percent win over McCain in the early primary state.